Clock radios are widely used to save valuable space on a desk or end table. These devices incorporate a clock and alarm for waking up users, as well a radio for broadcasting news and music.
There have been a number of improvements in clock radios. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,009 discloses a programmable clock including a memory for storing times, dates and messages for subsequent display to provide reminders for events such as birthdays, anniversaries and doctor appointments. At the designated time and date, the messages are displayed in an alphanumeric format.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,228,470 teaches an electronic reminder system for recording spoken messages that are played back at a future point in time. The system includes a microphone for recording the messages, a keyboard for inputting data representing the future point in time at which the respective messages are to be played back, a clock for measuring time, a controller for signaling the arrival of each specified point in time, and a speaker for broadcasting the previously recorded message.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,697 discloses a clock radio including an audio recording system for recording information regarding future appointments. The information input into the system is designated with a particular month and day for playback. The recorded information is played back on the designated date when the user is awakened by an alarm.
Despite the above-mentioned improvements in clock radios, there remains a need for a combination unit that incorporates a clock radio, a weather station, and a message organizer for recording spoken messages that may be played back at a specified future time.